BACKGROUND: President Obama’s Great Lakes Restoration Initiative is the largest investment in the Great Lakes in two decades. The initiative calls for aggressive efforts to address five priorities:• Cleaning up toxics and toxic hot spots around the Great Lakes.• Combating invasive species.• Promoting nearshore health by protecting watersheds from polluted runoff.• Restoring wetlands and other habitats.• Accountability and working with strategic partners on outreach.

Three grants will be announced at Tuesday’s event:• Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, $411,680, for cleanup and restoration of the St. Louis River Area of Concern.• University of Minnesota, $193,432, for restoring 200 acres of moose foraging habitat near wetlands in the Lake Superior Uplands.• Community Action Duluth, $636,365, for restoring urban riparian zones and implementing critical habitat restoration projects in the St. Louis River Area of Concern.